DaysofPal- The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) has accused the Israeli occupation forces of deliberately targeting and killing journalists in Gaza to silence their reporting on the ongoing genocide since October 7, 2023.
In a damning statement issued Friday, the PCHR condemned the systematic assassination of journalists, emphasizing that the number of media professionals killed in Gaza is now the highest in the world.
According to the Government Media Office in Gaza, at least 212 journalists have been assassinated by the Israeli occupation forces since the start of the war, including Saeed Abu Hussein, who succumbed to his wounds after being targeted alongside his wife and daughter in a shelling attack in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip.
This latest incident underscores the deliberate and escalating pattern of Israeli war aimed at silencing journalists and suppressing the truth about Israel’s crimes in Gaza.
A Deliberate Strategy to Obscure the Truth
The PCHR stated that the continued targeting of journalists is not random but part of a calculated strategy to intimidate them and prevent them from documenting and exposing the atrocities committed against civilians in Gaza. The center emphasized that these killings are “an integral part of the genocide” unfolding in the besieged territory.
Since the beginning of the conflict, 13 female journalists have also lost their lives, marking this as the deadliest period for journalists globally since records began in 1992. Most journalists were killed during airstrikes carried out by Israeli warplanes or reconnaissance drones, while others were targeted by sniper fire. The PCHR described these deliberate killings as “war crimes” under Article 8 of the Rome Statute, which falls within the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Freedom of the Press Under Attack
The PCHR highlighted that freedom of the press and expression are fundamental rights enshrined in international human rights law, particularly under Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Despite these protections, Israeli occupation forces have systematically violated these principles, targeting journalists with impunity.
The center warned that the lack of accountability emboldens the occupying power to continue its campaign of terror against journalists and their families. It called on the international community to publicly condemn these attacks, pressure Israeli occupation forces to cease targeting journalists, and take immediate steps to ensure the safety and protection of civilians in Gaza.
Call for Accountability and Justice
In its statement, the PCHR urged ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan to expedite investigations into crimes committed in the occupied Palestinian territories, including the murder of journalists. These individuals, the center noted, risk their lives to uncover and report the truth about the atrocities being perpetrated in Gaza.
The PCHR further criticized the international community’s failure to hold the Israeli occupation accountable for its actions, stating that this silence perpetuates the Israeli genocide and impunity. It warned that the continued targeting of journalists represents not only a violation of press freedom, but also an attempt to obscure evidence of genocide from the global public.
A Moral and Legal Obligation
As the death toll among journalists rises, the PCHR stressed that the international community has a moral and legal obligation to act. Without urgent intervention, the deliberate killing of journalists will continue unchecked, depriving the world of critical information about the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.
The center concluded its statement with an urgent appeal: “Journalists in Gaza are paying with their lives to reveal the truth. Their deaths must not go unaddressed. Impunity for these crimes cannot be allowed to persist. The time for action is now—before more lives are lost and history bears witness to yet another unconscionable chapter of injustice.”
The deliberate targeting of journalists in Gaza is not merely an attack on individuals but a direct assault on the principles of transparency, accountability, and human rights. As the world watches, the silence of global powers risks complicating what many call one of the gravest violations of press freedom in modern history.
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